We can all probably agree on this: The ongoing $30 million renovation of the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory is a welcome revitalization project along North Howard Avenue. We can all probably agree on this too: It’s not aesthetically improved with the Tampa Jewish Community Center’s plans to add a six-foot high fence across the front of the Art Deco structure.
However, we should all be able to agree on this: The reality is we live in a world where a high-profile Jewish Community Center project can also be a vulnerable target. Anti-Semitic terrorists and lone-wolf crazies exist. No one around here knows that better than JCC officials.
“You need to create environments that you’re able to control and protect,” explains Jack Ross, the JCC’s executive director. Of course, who could argue with that?
Well, three city council members, Frank Reddick, Charlie Miranda and Yolie Capin, in effect, could–and did. They were the minority in a 4-3 vote that ultimately signed off on the inclusion of the fence. They objected that it was inconsistent with the building’s historic character and could look less than welcoming to the public.
Legitimate points, but the same could be said of the White House. It doesn’t look better with a fence, it just looks–and is–safer in an increasingly unsafe world.
The JCC will now be working with the Architectural Review Commission to determine the final look, one that shouldn’t appear uninviting to those who want to visit and also understand the necessary balance between convenience and safety. As for Reddick, Miranda and Capin, their concerns are understandable, but maybe they should check back with council vice chairman Harry Cohen for further reassurance.